Evaluation Of The Fracture Sizes By Using The Frequency Dependence Of Anisotropy

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1 Evaluation Of The Fracture Sizes By Using The Frequency Dependence Of Anisotropy Vahid Mahmoudian Ataabadi Arvandan Oil and Gas Company Saeed Sajjadian Hafizollah Kashani Birgani Abstract: Frequency-dependent anisotropy has been observed in seismic data and it can be explained by fluid flow in fractured porous rock. In this study we use a new equivalent medium theory that considers fluid movement due to a squirt-flow mechanism at two scales: the grain scale, where the pore space consists of micro-cracks and equant matrix porosity, and formationscale fractures. The theory models velocity dispersion and frequency dependence of anisotropy with the fracture length being one of the key parameters. The model is first tested and calibrated against laboratory data. Then we present the analysis and modeling of frequency-dependent shear-wave splitting from multi-component VSP data. By extracting the change in time delay between the split shear waves with frequency, we are able to invert for the fracture size. The derived length scale, which is a crucial parameter for mapping flow units in the reservoir, matches independent observations from borehole data very well. Keywords: Fracture,Anisotropy, fracture density 1

2 1.Introduction: Analysis of seismic anisotropy at present yields estimates about the fracture orientation and the spatial distribution of fracture intensity. However, the reservoir engineers reluctance to accept seismic anisotropy as a routine technique for fracture characterization is partly because of its failure to provide information about sizes of fractures. Although both grain scale microcracks and macro-scale fractures are considered to cause seismic anisotropy, reservoir engineers are more interested in the latter as permeability in many hydrocarbon reservoirs is believed to be dominated by formation-scale fluid units (in the order of meters). The interpretation of seismic anisotropy and estimation of fracture parameters is based upon models that represent the heterogeneous (fractured) medium as an equivalent homogeneous anisotropic medium in the long wavelength limit. Conventional models, such as Hudson s (Hudson, 1981) or Thomsen s (Thomsen, 1995) model, assume frequency independence and are insensitive to the length scale of fractures. The magnitude of the anisotropy is related to 3 the crack density, defined as ε = Na where N is the number of cracks per unit volume and a is the crack radius. Unfortunately, radically different fracture distributions can have the same crack density as is demonstrated in Fig. 1. In this study we investigate the possibility of using the frequency dependence of anisotropy to obtain information about the length scale of fractures. We apply a recently developed model (Chapman et al., 2002) to data that describes frequency dependent anisotropy and is sensitive to the fracture size. The calibrated theory is used to model frequency dependent shear-wave splitting in multi-component VSP data from the Bluebell Altamont field in the Uinta basin (Utah). We successfully invert the data for fracture density and fracture size. Finally, the results are compared to independent borehole observations. 2.Theoretical model: The micro-structural model of Chapman et al. (2002) considers an unfractured, isotropic rock in which all relevant length scales are identified with the grain scale. Recently this model has been extended with the introduction of an aligned fracture set, where the size of the fractures is allowed to be greater than the grain scale, giving a two-scale model. Fluid is considered to move in the pore space due to a squirt-flow mechanism, when elastic waves are propagating through the medium. Frequency dependent velocity and attenuation can be calculated as a function of angle of propagation. In contrast to previous single scale models, the scale length of the fractures can play an important role at seismic frequencies. We tested the model against laboratory data published by Rathore et al. (1995). The laboratory measurements were performed on synthetic sandstone samples that contained cracks of known geometry and orientation. We used both the velocity and attenuation data given by Rathore et al. (1995) to calibrate our theory. All relevant rock parameters except the time scale constant, which is related to pressure relaxation in the pore space of the rock, were known. By minimizing the misfit between data and model, we obtained a -value of 0.3 s. Using this value in our modeling, the laboratory measurements could be well matched. The model can now be applied to other data sets by correcting the -value obtained here according to changes in fluid and rock properties. 3.Estimating the fracture size from multi-component VSP data: We now apply the model to 4C VSP data from the Bluebell-Altamont field in the Uinta basin, Utah. Our aim is to estimate fracture density, orientation and size from the data. The field contains a fractured gas reservoir, the Green River formation, which is a sandstone with generally low porosity and permeability. Production from the reservoir is believed to be primarily controlled by size, orientation and concentration of natural fractures (Lynn et al., 1999). The dataset is a near-offset VSP with the source located 550 ft west of the well. 3-component receivers were placed at depths from 2800 ft to 8650 ft with 50 ft spacing. The reservoir is located between the depths of 6687 ft and 8591 ft. 2

3 Shear-wave splitting was observed in the VSP data and analyzed from direct arrivals. The polarization angle of the fast shear-wave was found to be consistent at N43W throughout all receiver depths. This direction is identified with the fracture strike. A significant increase in shear-wave anisotropy was observed at the reservoir depth. Fig. 2 shows the 4C-data at the reservoir interval before and after Alford rotation. The rotation clearly minimizes the energy in the cross-diagonal components. We now analyze the data from the Green River formation for frequency dependent shearwave splitting. The data were filtered into various frequency bands and then analyzed for polarization angles and time delays between the split shear-waves. The results for 5 frequency bands are shown in Fig. 3. The polarization angles are consistent around 43 degrees for all frequency bands except the lowest one (0-10 Hz). Inspection of this frequency band reveals no coherent energy. Therefore the results for this frequency range are unreliable and should not be used for further analysis. The corresponding time-delays show a systematic decrease with increasing frequency. Our concept is to use this information to invert for the fracture radius. We scanned through a range of values in crack density and fracture radius and computed the time delay as a function of depth for each frequency band. The resulting relative errors compared to the data are given in Fig. 4. We can see a clear minimum of the error function at a fracture density of 3.75% and a fracture radius of 3 m. We now performed forward modeling and processed the synthetic seismograms in the same way as the real data. Fig. 5 shows the results. The polarization angles are independent of frequency, while the time-delays decrease systematically with increasing frequency. The dashed lines show the results from the real data for comparison. There is a satisfactory match between real data and synthetic data results. Finally, we compare our deduced fracture radius of 3 m with evidence from independent borehole data. FMS images and cores reveal fracture lengths between 2 and 3 m. The fracture size, which we have estimated, matches that length scale very closely. 4.Conclusions Mean fracture density and orientation may be obtained from measurements of seismic anisotropy using conventional equivalent medium theories. However, it is not possible to discriminate between the effects of a few large fractures or many small cracks. Recent theoretical developments suggest that the frequency-dependence of anisotropic attributes could in principle allow us to overcome these limitations and determine an average length scale for the fractures. After calibrating and testing our model against laboratory measurements we applied it to 4C VSP data. We invert the data for fracture size and density, and find that the resulting fracture size matches geological evidence. Synthetic modeling confirms our interpretation. The results demonstrate the potential of using frequency-dependent anisotropic effects to go beyond standard applications of seismic anisotropy towards a more quantitative approach of fracture characterization. 5.Acknowledgements This work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (UK) through project GST22305, and sponsors of the Edinburgh Anisotropy Project. It is published with the approval of the Executive Director of the British Geological Survey (NERC). 3

4 Figure 1: The same crack density can be caused by a few large fractures as shown on the left or many small cracks as shown on the right. Figure 2: 4C VSP data before (left) and after Alford rotation (right). 4

5 Figure 3: Polarization angles of the fast shear wave and time delay between the split shear waves for different frequency bands. The results for 0-10 Hz are unreliable, since there is no coherent energy in the data below 10 Hz. The polarization angles are consistent around 43 degrees, while the time delay shows a systematic decrease with frequency. Figure 4: Relative error between measured and computed time delay as a function of frequency for a wide range of fracture densities and fracture sizes. There is a clear minimum at a fracture density of and a fracture radius of 3 m. 5

6 Figure 5: Polarization angles and time delays measured from the synthetic data for different frequency bands. The polarization angles are constant at 43 degrees. The time delays decrease with increasing frequency. The dashed lines show the results from the real data for comparison. There is a satisfactory match. 6

7 6.References: [1].Chapman, M, Zatsepin, S.V. and Crampin, S., Derivation of a microstructural poroelastic model. Geophysical Journal International. 151, [2] Hudson, J.A., Wave speeds and attenuation of elastic waves in material containing cracks. Geophysical Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, 64, [3] Lynn, H.B., Beckham, W.E., Simon, K.M., Bates, C.R., Layman, M. and Jones, M., P-wave and S-wave azimuthal anisotropy at a naturally fractured gas reservoir, Bluebell- Altamont field, Utah. Geophysics, 64, no. 4, [4] Rathore, J.S., Fjaer, E., Holt, R.M. and Renlie, L., P- and S- wave anisotropy of a synthetic sandstone with controlled crack geometry. Geophysical Prospecting, 43, [5] Thomsen, L., Elastic anisotropy due to aligned cracks in porous rock. Geophysical Prospecting, 43, [6]Horne, S.A., Slater, C.P., Malek, S.A., and Hill, A., 2000, Walkaround VSPs for fractured reservoir characterization, 70th Ann. Internat. Mtg., Soc. Expl. Geophys., Expanded Abstracts, RC [7] Walsh, J., Urdea, J., Horne, S., Thompson, C., and De, G., 2001, Determining Fracture/Stress Direction through Casing: A Case Study, Soc. Prof. Well Log Analysts. 7